Nielsen: Live TV still dominant in US

Nielsen’s Local Watch Report shows that live TV remains the primary medium to consume video in the US.

In 24 of the top 25 designated market areas (DMAs), adults 25-54 watch more than three hours of live TV per day. In nine of the top 10 local people meter (LPM) markets, African-Americans watch more than five hours of live TV per day. Among the top 10 Hispanic LPM markets, Hispanics’ live TV viewing averages more than three hours per day, with those in Denver and Phoenix tuning for more than four hours.

The report also focuses on young voters and their media usage. Millennials, the highly coveted group of adults 18-34, now constitute 26 per cent of US adults registered to vote in their districts. Understanding their media habits, lifestyles and voting trends is key to capturing their attention. Of the top 25 LPM markets, nine are in battleground states and in six of them, young voters comprise at least 25 per cent of adults registered to vote in their districts.

“While young voters are heavily connected to new technologies and social media, they are also still heavily engaged with live TV,” said Matt O’Grady, executive vice president and managing director, local media, Nielsen. “Local broadcasters have a great opportunity to capture these young voters as 78 per cent watch broadcast TV weekly and 49 per cent typically tune in to local news.”

Other insights from the fourth-quarter 2015 Local Watch Report include:
– Cleveland remained number one in total TV viewing with five hours and 47 minutes
– OTT viewing options grew 2 per cent to 8 per cent, depending on the device, compared to November 2014 (smart TV ownership across the US is at 20 per cent; tablet penetration in the US is at 56 per cent; and smartphone penetration in the US is at 82 per cent)
– Baltimore is the number one LPM market in multimedia usage (Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, etc.) with 18 minutes per day
– SVoD reaches nearly half of the US population, and markets like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Dallas experienced gains of up to 15 per cent in one year
– Half of young voters are either independent or do not identify with a political party-29 per cent are Democrats and 21 per cent are Republicans
– Nearly 40 per cent of young voters come from an ethnic background-18 per cent Hispanics, 13 per cent African-Americans and 8 per cent Asian/other